Eviction moratorium
Nearly two months after New York’s eviction moratorium expired, attorneys who provide free legal services as part of a city program are struggling to keep up with demand for legal representation in housing court.
Those who face immediate eviction are renters whose cases were decided before the pandemic.
Applying for the state’s rental assistance program gives tenants protection from eviction while their application is pending.
The pandemic eviction moratorium will end on Jan. 15 and is unlikely to be extended again.
The new moratorium will potentially protect hundreds of thousands of tenants from eviction, while granting landlords broader power to challenge tenants who they doubt are suffering financial hardship.
The development comes as protections for tenants in New York were eroded by two back-to-back U.S. Supreme Court decisions in recent weeks.
"I am very disappointed in the Supreme Court's appalling and insensitive ruling that eliminates a key line of defense for tenants facing housing insecurity during the ongoing pandemic," Governor Hochul said.
“By applying for rent relief, you will have an eviction moratorium. Your case cannot move forward while the state is processing that application.”
Now tenants will need to provide evidence of economic hardship in court, versus just filing a form.
The new law protects tenants who couldn’t pay rent due to the pandemic as long as they certify they applied for rental assistance.
"There's been problems all along, but they've known this was coming. They knew how many people haven’t been paying rent — it's not a mystery.”
About $3.5 billion will be available starting in June for residential and commercial tenants.